Still-Born
by CobaltBatWings
Summary: That fateful night by the river, Ichigo died along with his mother. Too pure to become fully hollow but not enough to enter Soul Society, he flees to Hueco Mundo where he meets a little green Arrancar and her three 'brothers'. (Arrancar!Ichigo)
1. Prologue

**A.N. You know when there's an author you like who usually updates pretty regularly but then suddenly stops and when they finally update again its for a show you don't even watch and you're just like "_really_?" ...yeah, I'm that author...**

**So, sorry to all my readers who might be seeing this and were hoping for another fic. They will be updated, I swear!**

**But basically, this is what you get when you stick me in a car for three hours with annoying little siblings. Anywhoozers, _another_ Bleach fic! R&R**

Ichigo didn't remember much about the day he died. It had been raining. Not heavy, just a light sprinkle, but enough to need an umbrella to ward off the cool drops.

He remembered walking with his mother. She was beautiful, his mother, with golden hair and soft eyes. He didn't remember where he had been walking home from, or even what home was, but he remembered his family.

His father has half insane, a hyper man-child who acted less mature then the at the time nine year old Ichigo.

He also remembered his two sister, Karin and Yuzu. Polar opposites and yet somehow twins at the same time. Karin was dark haired like their father, tough as nails and had a loud (and probably foul in the future) mouth.

Yuzu was like the sun, shunning and bright and always there to warm you up in the mornings. And already she was a great cook at age six. Mom had taught her well.

But Ichigo would never taste her cooking again.

Because he was dead.

Ichigo also remembered the monster. He and his mother had been walking along side a river on their way home when Ichigo saw her. A girl, standing by the water, as if she were going to jump.

Like his name suggested, Ichigo was a protector. It was ingrained into his being. So he ran to try and catch the girl, to keep her from drowning in the muddy water of the rain filled river.

What he didn't know was that the girl wasn't a girl at all.

She was a trick, an illusion, a piece of bait.

And Ichigo had fallen for it.

One moment he had been running to save the girl, the next he was on the wet grass being smothered by something heavy and wet and still on top of him.

He heard a rumbling voice then, full of malice. Ichigo struggled against the weight on him while the voice gloated and insulted him. Finally he was able to push it off him, and he immediately wished he hadn't.

"Mom!"

As they she laid, still and pale and so terrifyingly _lifeless_. Ichigo had tried shaking her awake, begging her to get up, not to be dead and to _just get up_. But she didn't and the voice kept jeering at him and it _hurt so much_.

Ichigo looked up, red in his gaze and a cold hole in his chest. It was then he saw that the voice belonged to a monster.

It was a fatty, grotesque thing with a long tentacle hanging from its face. Bouncing on the end of that tentacle was the girl he had tried to save.

The monster had tricked him and now his mom was dead!

Ichigo felt himself get angrier and the hole in his chest get bigger.

"That lady was delicious." The monster had said. "I've always liked the women better, but you'll taste good too. Your reiatsu is pretty high after all. You'll taste even better now that you're a soul"

Ichigo didn't know what 'reiatsu was or what the monster meant by 'soul'. All he knew was that it had killed his mom and it had to _pay_!

The monster stalked closer to him, its long tongue rolling out of its mouth and licking at its lips.

But Ichigo felt no fear. There was nothing _to_ fear. The thing before him was trash, his very instinct told him so. He was stronger than it.

So it was with blind fury and the solid notion that this _thing must die_ that he raised his hand and aimed it at the creatures bony mask.

He was too angry to notice the red haze forming around him or the massive amount of power building up inside him or even the pail white substance forming over his face. All he felt was the blood rushing in his ears and the burning in his hand and the gaping hole in his chest.

It was instinct that his mask formed. Instinct that a massive amount of power was forced into one attack. It was also instinct when he uttered a single, quite word.

"Cero..."

The world burned blinding red before fading to black...


	2. Chapter 1

**Just so you know, there is no 'Old Man' Zangetsu. He and hollow Zangetsu kinda fused in this, but since Ichigo is dead and an arrancar and everything, the hollow side is stronger, and will remain so. I'll see if I can post some art of what Zangetsu looks like as he's a bit different from the hollow version. Anyway, R&R! **

Ichigo woke to something soft and grainy under him. Slowly he opened his blurry eyes and tried to make sense of what he saw.

He was laying on pale white sand. But he didn't remember visiting the beach...

Ichigo slowly rolled over onto his back. Bits of sand stuck to his cloths but he hardly cared.

His vision was met with a night sky and an ominous crescent moon handing from its rafters.

"Huh," he muttered, taking in his new surroundings. Hadn't he just been with his mother by the river? He was too tired to quite remember correctly...

He glanced around and felt a jolt as reality hit him head on. What he once thought was a beach was in fact a vast desert that seemed to stretch on and on and on.

Ichigo sat up, wearily taking in his surroundings.

So he was in a desert and had no recollection of how he got there. Ichigo tried to think back to his last memory and froze.

Slowly but surely the images came trickling back.

Walking with his mother, seeing the girl, his mother's blank stare and lifeless body, the monster, the anger he felt, the flash of red energy...

Had it really happened?

Ichigo then noticed there was something on his face. He reached up to feel a slick surface, almost like bone. It covered the left half of his face, leaving only a thin slit over his eye to see out of.

He grabbed the edge of it and gently tugged. It didn't budge. He pulled harder. Same result but it was accompanied with a small stab of pain. Huffing, Ichigo steadied himself before forcefully tearing the thing from him.

The result was immediate.

Ichigo doubled over, screaming in agony. Fire coursed through his head, burning away at every nerve, a wild screaming _thing_ deep inside him roaring in fury at his utter _stupidity_.

After minutes, or maybe hours or perhaps even year the pain began to lessen. His small heart pounded and his head throbbed but the pain was slowly fading and he realized the hole in his chest didn't feel quite so empty.

Ichigo gasped in ragged breaths, his quivering arms barely keeping him in a hunched over position.

Sweat and tears trailed down his face and he he felt like he could very well pass out. Finally he calmed down enough to look at the thing that had been on his face. It was a mask of some sorts. It looked like half of a skull, with sharp teeth and slitted eye sockets. It was mostly white aside from two red stripes that ran diagonally over the left eye. It was both terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Ichigo felt suddenly naked without the mask, and had the sudden urge to but it back on. Another part of him was repulsed by the thing and refused to put it anywhere near his face again. That part won out just enough to keep the mask off his face, but still in his hand.

**_"Idiot."_**

Ichigo froze. He desperately glanced around, searching for the source of the voice. "Hello?" He called out fearfully. Maybe whoever it was could help him, tell him where he was. Or maybe the person would try and hurt him like that monster had.

**_"Stupid King,"_ **the voice muttered. Ichigo sucked in a breath. The voice sounded like it was coming... from his head?

**_"Course I'm coming from your head. I'm too weak to manifest."_**

"Wh-what?" Ichigo squeaked out. "Wh-who are you? _What_ are you?"

**_"I'm you." _**Said the voice. **_"I'm yer basic instincts, all the things ya don't want to be. I'm your powers."_**

"P-powers? What powers?"

**_"Don't tell me ya didn't notice that giant cero ya used to take out Grand Fisher?"_**

"Cero?" Ichigo murmured. The voice was making no sense. Plus, his (for it sounded very much male) watery double-toned voice was kinda creeping him out. There was also the fact that it sounded like a teenager's voice..

**_"The big red energy blast ya used dummy."_**

All Ichigo could manage was a quite "oh." He swallowed. Everything was so very strange. What had happened? All he had been doing was walking home with his mom from karate practice.

"Mom... is she really dead?"

The voice in his head was quite for a while. When he finally spoke his voice was subdued, softer. **_"Sorry King, but she's gone..."_**

Ichigo was quite for a long time. He curled up on himself, his legs pressed to his chest with his arms wrapped snuggle around them, his chin resting on his knees.

It was several minuted before he smoke again. "Do you have a name?"

**_"...Zangetsu." _**

Ichigo repeated the name softly. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. It was a powerful name. "What's it mean?"

Zangetsu was quite for a moment. **_"Slaying Moon." _**He finally answered.

Ichigo gave a small smile. "Cool. It suits you."

**_"Yeah?"_**

"Yeah." They were quite a moment longer before Ichigo spoke again. "Hey Zangetsu?"

**_"What?"_**

Do you have any idea what this place is?"

**_"It's Hueco Mundo... the hollowed world."_**

Ichigo blinked. "So we arn't in Japan anymore?"

Zangetsu snorted. **_"We arn't in the world of the livin' anymore."_**

"World of the... does that mean I'm dead?"

**_"Yup!" _**The voice sounded much too cheerful. Ichigo was slowly realizing that Zangetsu might not be entirely sane.

**_"Well, technically you're an arrancar, not an actual soul. There's a difference."_**

"Arrancar?"

**_"A hollow tha' tears off their own mask. Gives 'em shinigami powers an' stuff."_**

"Hollow?" Ichigo's mind was spinning in all of what Zangetsu was saying. It barely made any sense to him, if at all.

Zangetsu sighed, like Ichigo was an idiot child and the voice was having to tediously explain every single thing, which he sort of was.

**_"I guess Ah'll start at the beginin'. First off, you're a hollow. A hollow's basically ah soul that couldn't move on and got filled with a bunch o' hate and pain. They turn into brainless monsters."_**

"But I'm not a brainless monster." Ichigo argued.

**_"Ah'm gettin' to that. Anyway, you were already part hollow. See, before ya were born, your mom got bit by a hollow, which passed down ta you."_**

It took a while for what Zangetsu said to really register in Ichigo's mind. "Wait, how did my mom get bitten by a hollow? And was that thing that ki- attacked us a hollow?"

**_"Yes, that bast- erm ah, jerk was a hollow called Grand Fisher. A more evolved hollow, since he could actually think an' talk an' stuff. Anyway, your mom actually used to be somethin' called a quincy, a human that hunted and killed hollows."_**

"Quincy..?"

**_"Ya sure yer not deaf? Yes, a quincy. She gave up that lifestyle ta merry yer dad and raise you an' yer sisters."_**

"Oh..."

**_"So anyway, 'cuz of that you up and skipped all yer evolutions, starting out as a vasto lorde right away, then became an arrancar when ya tore of yer mask, which _hurt_ by the way!"_**

"Vasto Lorde? And sorry, I just wanted it off. It felt... wrong, I guess." Ichigo shivered, longing for the comfort of the mask on his face but terrified of it at the same time.

**_"Tch, a vasto lorde is the complete for of a hollow, the last evolution aside from arrancar. Vasto lorde come in all sorts of appearances, are intelligent, and regain some sense of who they were before they died."_**

The voice paused.

**_"The reason the mask feels wrong is yer quincy and shinigami sides don' like it."_**

"Shinigami?"

**_"Yeah, ya know, death god? Soul reaper?"_**

"I know what a shinigami is!" Ichigo yelled, slightly annoyed with Zangetsu. He took a breath to calm down. "I'm just confused. You're making it sound like I'm a shinigami too."

**_"It sound's like it 'cuz ya are. Yer shinigami, hollow, and quincy all in one. Sounds like either a bad joke or ah' paradox." _**Zangetsu snickered.

"But, how am I a shinigami?"

The voice sighed. **_"Blame yer old man for that."_**

"Wh-what do you mean?"

**_"I mean yer dad used ta be a shinigami." _**Ichigo could practically feel Zangetsu rubbing his brown in annoyance. **_I don't know much other than yer father used to be a shinigami before somehow losin' his powers." _**He paused for a moment.**_ "I really don' know much more than you. I just know wha' my instincts tell me, and what I can figure out based on wha' yer soul feels like. Lots of it is guess actually."_**

"I... this is a lot to take in..." Ichigo finally managed.

**_"I'd think so. But it's okay, I'll help ya through it. Yer my wielder after all."_**

"Wielder?"

**_"Gah, I forgot ta mention, I'm a zanpakuto, yer soul-cuttin' blade. Itsa weapon all shinigami are born with. And each one is alive, with a spirit, like me."_**

"A-a sword. I have a _sword_?"

**_"Two actually, but only in yer shikai."_**

"Shikai?"

**_"My second command. One blade for yer hollow powers, one for yer quincy powers."_**

Ichigo fell into his back, laying limp in the sand. "I'm so confused. All this... it's happening so soon... Honestly! I'm only nine years old! Yeah I'm mature and stuff, but all this..." He trailed off, not really sure what else to say.

He suddenly felt a tugging in his mind. Then it was gone, not just the tugging but also a little part of him. It felt almost like a memory you just couldn't reach, like when you had a word on the tip of your tongue but couldn't quite say it. He found out why a moment later.

**"It'll make sense gradually."**

Ichigo sat bolt upright, eyes wide. There was Zangetsu, standing right in front of him. He did a double take. The zanpakuto spirit was completely white. White skin, white cloths, white hair. Even the two blades strapped to his back and hip where bone pale. The only colour were his eyes. They were a bright, intense gold shot through with bits of electric yellow and orange. They were like molten gold behind a raging fire. The sclera of his eyes were ebony black, making a disturbingly beautiful canvas for the gold.

Zangetsu grinned. Not a nice grin, but one that spoke of madness and bloodlust and yet was somehow comforting to the confused boy.

**"I think ya need yer rest King. Probably need ta find some shelter or somethin'. Follow me."**And without a word of warning, Zangetsu unleashed the blade on his back and plunged it into the sand. The feathery ground beneath them gave way and the two fell through. Instead of dozens of meters of sand though, Ichigo found himself falling through air. Somehow beneath the sand was a massive cave or something, filled with brittle grey trees that reached all the way up and through the sand.

Zangetsu had a crazed grin on his face as they fell hundreds of feet. With lighting fast motions, he grabbed hold of Ichigo and held him close to his chest. Seconds later he landed with a soft 'thump' on the ground below.

**"Well, that was fun."**

Ichigo squirmed free of Zangetsu's hold. "Fun?! I almost died!"

**"But ya didn't." **Zangetsu pointed out.

Ichigo pouted. Zangetsu laughed.

**"Now, ta find a place ta stay..." **The hollowed weapon suddenly took of in a sprint, heading to god knows where.

"Hey! Wait up!" Ichigo cried, taking chase, absently wondering what he did in a past life to deserve this.


	3. Chapter 2

**A.N. Merry Christmas everyone! And as a christmas gift, I am updating all my stories! Yay! Hope you guys like.**

Chapter Two

Ichigo woke with a start, his eyes wide and vision blurry. His small heart was pounding and thin beads of sweat were gathering on his brow even though the air around him was cool.

Ichigo slowed his breathing, doing his best to calm down from the nightmare. He gripped the sheets around him and pulled them closer to him. His eyes finally adjusting to his grey and black surroundings glanced around, feeling suddenly weary.

For good reason, he realized, since he wasn't in his room. Really, he wasn't even _in_ a room. Rather, he was sitting on the floor of a cave. The rock surface of the walls were a dark grey colour, but thankfully dry. The space was circular, about fifteen meters by fifteen, with the ceiling a bit higher than his father's head.

On one side of the cave was a tunnel. It was much narrower than the cave itself, and only went on for about ten meters or so before opening up to the world beyond. Outside was dark but Ichigo could clearly see a forest of deathly trees.

He glanced down to see what he once though were his bed sheets was actually a white coat of some sort with black stitching. The ends were slightly frayed and jagged, but the material was soft and warm.

Ichigo pulled the clothing tighter around him and sighed. As he breathed back in he caught the sent of the coat. The only thing he could describe it as would be what he imagined lightning to smell like. Lightning and a raging storm and a fierce wind all rolled into one, with the undertones of something so primal and dangerous and it just smelled like _home_. Not home like with Karin, Dad and Yuzu, but the home like a place that was always there but he'd somehow never visited.

With the smell also came the memories. Slowly but surly they came back until the leak became a flood and the dam in his mind shattered. Ichigo curled up on himself, everything that had happened to him in the past twenty-four hours coming hurdling back.

And he cried. He cried for all he had lost, all he couldn't have. He cried for the mother that had died saving him, for the family he would never see again, for the home he left and the life he could never live, because he was dead dead dead _dead_!

Ichigo curled up and wept like no nine-year-old should weep. His small shoulders quivered and his nose began to run but still he cried because it _hurt so much_. It hurt more than the time Tatsuki accidentally broke his arm in karate. Hurt more than the cruel words of bullies teasing him for his hair.

It hurt in his chest and in his head. The pounding beneath his skull felt like rocks crushing tiny birds, the violent lurching in his ribs the feeble attempts to escape made by a dying animal.

It hurt and he cried and soon it felt as if Ichigo would simply sink into oblivion where there was only pain and tears.

But then he felt something touch his shoulder. It was both warm and cold and so very comforting.

**"There, there King. Don' be wasting yer tears like that. We're in a desert aft'r all."**

Ichigo looked up with stinging eyes to see the blurred form of Zangetsu kneeling protectivly beside him.

Desperate for some form of comfort, he latched on to his sword spirit, pulling his frail little body close to the lithe strong one of the zanpakuto.

In Zangetsu's comforting, if awkward, embrace, Ichigo's tears began to slow. Finally there was nothing left but the random sniffle and nose wipe. His cheeks and eyes remained red, but the broken gaping hole inside Ichigo no longer felt so raw.

"Thanks..." He murmured.

Zangetsu brushed a piece of orange hair from his eyes. **"It's mah job, King. If ah don't look out for ya, who will?"**

Ichigo smiled at his zanpakuto. He might have lost his home and family, but he had Zangetsu, and he thought, the sword might just be able to make up for both those things, if only a little.

It was only then that Ichigo realized that Zangetsu was bare chested. He looked down at the coat wrapped around him and realized it was, in fact, Zangetsus.

"Here." Ichigo hastily handed the pale fabric back to its owner. He knew how cold it was in this desert place, and he didn't want his only friend to go without any form of warmth.

Zangetsu just shook his head and draped the shit over his wielder once more.

**"Ya need it more than me. Ah don' feel cold, you do."**

"But-"

**"No buts. If it matters ta ya so much, I'll start up a fire. We're well enough hidden tha no passin' hollows should notice."**

Ichigo only nodded, not liking the situation but grateful for the extra warmth. Zangetsu then went about somehow lighting the crystalized trees with a tiny cero. While he worked, Ichigo decided to ask a question that had been on his mind since the zanpakuto had returned.

"Where were you? You weren't here when I woke up."

Zangetsu didn't look up from his word. **"A couple of hollows got a bit too close for comfort." **He answered simply.

"Oh..." Ichigo shuffled over to the now medium sized flame, letting its warm tongues chase away what was left of his chill. "What do we do now?" He asked quietly.

This time Zangetsu did look up. **"We get stronger." **He leaned back against the grey wall, his gold on black eyes gazing into nothing. **"Hueco Mundo is a word of kill or be killed. We gotta get strong, else we're gonna die."**

"Am- am I gonna have to kill?"

The zanpakuto looked at him sadly. **"Yeah... only hollows though. Ya don' need souls ta survive. Yer already an arrancar, I'm pretty sure. 'Sides, killin' a hollow's a good thing."**

"How is killing good?!" Ichigo shrieked. He could never see himself as a killer, not even if it was a monster.

**"It's a mercy to kill a hollow, ta put em out of their misery. Hollows lead a painful existence. By killin' them, you let 'em move on ta Soul Society. They can finally find peace."**

"Oh..."

**"Yeah." **He turned to look Ichigo in the eyes. **"Get some sleep King. Tomorrow we train. Yer gonna need it."**

Ichigo snuggled up next to his Zanpakuto, much to the weapon's discomfort. "Okay..." The boy murmured before slipping into oblivion.

Zangetsu slowly relaxed, the awkwardness of having a nine-year-old on his lap fading. **"Night King."**


	4. Chapter 3

**A.N. So you know how I said Zangetsu and the Old Man were going to be the same person. I lied. Hehe. So yay for you Quincy Zangetsu fans.**

**Also a bit more description on what both Ichigo and Zangetsu look like. Just a bit of a filler chapter, but hey, character development and shit.**

**If you noticed, Zangetsu is trying to keep his potty mouth to a minimum for little baby Ichigo. That's gonna change as he gets older, of course.**

**I p;an on keeping this pretty close to the original story line, with Ichigo meeting Rukia and later having to rescue her from Soul Society and all that.**

**:::STORY SPOILERS:: **

**Alright, these may or may not be considered spoilers for where this is going, but ff you're interested, these are the ships that are (probably) going to be in this fic.**

**-Ichigo/Rukia of course. I love those two.**

**-Ulquiorra/Orihime. 3**

**-Gin/Rangiku. An actual cannon ship!**

**-Toshiro/Karin, cus those two are totally adorable.**

**-Yoruichi/Kisuke, no explanation needed.**

**-Grimmjow/Soi-Feng, really my only crack pairing. All the others have a lot going for them to be partially cannon. Darksknight was the one to get me into them with her fic Colors. Awesome story btw. Go read it.**

**-Shinji/Hiyori (maybe, havn't for sure decided yet)**

**(might also make an Ikkaku/OC thing. And I swear I will do everything in my power to make her no Mary Sue. If she is, I shall kill her with fire.)**

**Love the pairings, hate em? I wanna know.**

**Anyway, long A.N. is long, On to the Story!**

**Chapter Three**

Zangetsu watched the King sleep with hawk-sharp eyes. After the kid's night terror just a few hours ago, the weapon was hellbent on staying close to him, keep him safe.

The pale skinned man leaned himself against the smooth alabaster walls of what would most likely be their new home.

After only a short while in the Menos Forest, Ichigo had all but collapsed from exhaustion. Dying could do that to a person, Zangetsu supposed.

The weapon had immediately sought out a place for the two to stay. While Zangetsu was extremely powerful (as was Ichigo in his own right) both were still too young and inexperienced to fight off the stronger hollows prowling the forest.

That would change soon though. They would get stronger, both of them. Tomorrow after the King rested up, training would start.

Zangetsu was a powerful warrior, instinctively knowing how to fight. BUt his abilities went beyond a hollows cut-and-slash fighting style. He knew how to really fight. All zanpakuto did. They were born with their own distinctive fighting style. It was a style they knew inside and out, and were meant to teach their masters.

Zangetsu had the added bonus of the other half on Ichigo's soul. The quincy spirit that resided within the boy's mind-scape, while not as powerful as Zangetsu, held a great deal more wisdom. Due to Ichigo being primarily hollow,it was neigh impossible for the quincy to manifest, or do much of anything really. So instead he spoke with Zangetsu, taught him what he knew, and helped the sword grow stronger.

Even though Ichigo knew of his quincy heritage, the two spirits had decided to wait in telling him for a later date. He already had enough on his plate as it was.

**_"Ya there Old Man?" _**Zangetsu asked his fellow spirit. He heard the 'elder' being sigh.

_"You do know I have a name?"_

**_"Yeah, yeah, yer name's Tensa, "Heaven Chain' and all that shit. Personally Ah think Old Man fits you better."_**

Tensa sighed. _"What do you want?"_

Zangetsu became suddenly somber. He looked at his sleeping charge, the young boy so innocent. He didn't deserve all the shit that had happened to him. **_"Do you think we're going to be good enough?" _**The blade's accent slowly faded as he grew serious.**_ "He's already had so much happen to him. Gods, Tensa, he's just a kid!"_**

_"We will do what we must. We are his guardians after all. We will be enough. We _have_ to be."_

**_"I hope so Old Man, I hope so."_**

Tensa remained silent, not even bothering to respond to the 'Old Man' part. After a while the spirit once more returned to the recess of Ichigo's mind, leaving Zangetsu alone.

The sword took the time to finally study the boy. He had changed a great deal since dying. Ichigo was paler now. No where near as pale as Zangetsu, but lighter non the less. HIs hair was longer. It was now closer to his shoulders than his ears.

His eyes weren't completely brown anymore either. They now held flecks and streams of gold, much like Zangetsu's, a tribute to the boy's hollow nature.

He was stronger now. His muscles were well defined, but in no way bulbous. It was clear he would grow to be a strong young man (with quite the rack too).

The largest difference was the small slice of hollow mask over Ichigo's face. It was similar to Zangetsu's in shape, but a good deal smaller.

The sword's own mask went from his chin to the top of his head, curving a bit around his left eye. The jaw could be clearly seen on the porcelain bone, complete with a lining razor-sharp teeth. From the temple curved a bull-like horn tipped in red.

Ichigo's mask was similar in shape, but had no horn. It also covered far less of his face than Zangetsus.

Also unlike the sword's, Ichigo's mask covered the right side of his face, whereas Zangetsu's was over his left.

A soft noise distracted the blade from his musings. He looked over to see Ichigo stirring in his sleep. He uttered something too quite for Zangetsu to understand before snuggling closer to his kimono and falling still once more. Zangetsu smiled fondly at the boy. Even with his human nature, both Zangetsu and Tensa had been with Ichigo since birth. They both had formed a strong connection with him.

Both spirits saw him as a little brother. He was family. And they would protect them with their lives.

Zangetsu leaned his head back against the cave wall and closed his eyes. He felt no chill even without his kimono. He was dead after all. The elements had no effect on him. Little Ichigo however, was still partially alive and thus subject to the harshness of nature.

At least he would be warm and safe as long as Zangetsu was nearby.

Zangetsu's eyes snapped open as a hollow's roar sounded from outside. It was a good distance away, but close enough to be weary of.

Zangetsu glanced back at his wielder, but was glad to see the boy hadn't stirred in his sleep.

Relaxing once more, Zangetsu leaned back into the wall. A slight breeze drifted through the cave and ghosted over the blade's stomach, making him tense. He glanced down to stare at his hollow hole with distain.

He hated that damn thing. It reminded him of what he was. What that thrice-damned hollow had turned him into even before he was born.

Zangetsu was a zanpakuto first and always, but that didn't change the fact that he was also hollowfied.

The gaping hole in his abdomen was a constant reminder of that.

Snorting, he turned his attention from the offending attribute, and instead on his plan for tomorrow. Or tonight. Hueco Mundo was always night time after all, so time was pretty much irrelevant.

First he and King would have to get food. Zangetsu himself had no qualms about consuming other hollows, but he knew Ichigo would feel differently. But it had to be done, else they would slowly shrivel and fade away. That as not something Zangetsu was willing to do.

Second would be training. Ichigo would need to be tough in all areas of combat, not just the art of the sword. Even kido would be on thier list of to-do's.

After all, Zangetsu was not about to play horse to a weak king...


	5. Chapter 4

Ichigo woke to a sudden lack of covering and a loud call of **"Wakey-wakey King!"**

The boy groaned and sat up, goose flesh rising up on his now bare arms. He looked up to see Zangetsu shrugging back on his shirt... thing.

**"It's called a Shihakushō." **The spirit said whilst knotting the sash around his waste.

Ichigo blinked. "Huh?" Had he just read the boy's mind?

Zangetsu rolled his eyes. **"Part of yer soul, remember?" **He said in answer to Ichigo's unasked question. The spirit smirked. **"I get a bit o' what you think when ya think it." **

**"Anyway, a Shihakushō is tha' special kinda kimono tha shinigami wear. Since I'm a soul-cleaver spirit, it's what I've manifested in."**

The white haired man grinned down at his white attire. **"Course I added me own flair ta it." **

Zangetsu then gestured for Ichigo to stand and follow him. The boy did as asked, keeping pace next to the weapon as they both made their way out of the cave.

**"Ah found this place after ya passed out last night." **Said Zangetsu, referring to the cave they were in. **"Small, secure, for the most part hidden from higher level hollows. We'll probably be stayin' here fer a while."**

Ichigo's shoulders slumped. "I'm never going to be able to go home, am I?"

Zangetsu looked at his young wielder and bumped his shoulder. **"Sure ya will. Ya just haf'ta get stronger first."**

Ichigo jumped up, a flair of hope beginning to hatch from the despair that had begun to fester in his heart.

"THen what are we waiting for?!" Ichigo cheered, grabbing Zangetsu's hand, and pulling him towards the cave's exit.

Zangetsu laughed, entertained by the nine-year-old's excitment. He was still a child, after all, and Zangetsu would be damned if he took that away from the boy.

Ichigo froze just before the cave's exit, staring unsurely at the thick vines working as a makeshift cover. The thick grey-green vegetation (if it was even that. The thing looked strangely rock-like) prevented any sight from the outside.

Zangetsu grinned, squeezing the boy's hand reassuringly. **"Com'on King. Time ta face the world!"**

He pushed the vines out of the way and stepped out. Ichigo nervously followed behind. His eyes grew wide at seeing the world below the sands.

**"Welcome to the Menos Forest!" **Zangetsu swept his arm in a grand gesture, as if presenting a priceless artifact to an amazed crowd. **"Now then..." **Zangetsu grabbed tightly onto Ichigo and vanished in an impressive burst of sonido. Ichigo yelped, his eyes wide, while being gently carried hundreds of meters in mere seconds.

He suddenly stopped at the base of one of the massive stone trees making up the cathedral of the Forest.

"Wh-what are we doing here?" Ichigo asked shakily.

Zangetsu grinned. **"Training!" **His reiatsu suddenly flared, alerting any and all nearby hollows to the sword's presence.

Ichigo gasped at the sudden pressure, but quickly adapted to the otherwise stifling energy.

The shriek of a hollow snapped the boy's attention from his sword. "...what was that?" He whispered.

**"That... was a hollow." **Zangetsu grinned widely at his wielder. **"And if you don't want to get eaten, ya better run!" **And with that the sword climbed the tree in flashing steps.

Ichigo froze. "What are you doing?! You can't leave me!" He shrieked. "What kinda training is this?!"

**"I believe in learning on the spot." **Zangetsu yelled down from his place several dozen meters above.

A shriek and crash behind Ichigo had the boy spin around, eyes wide and fearful. His body began to shake as a spiny, ugly _thing_ crawled into view. The thing was an ugly grey, with crocodile skin and gaping jaws under its mask. The thing threw its head back and gave a mournful howl.

Then it charged.

Ichigo's instincts kicked in then. With a furious burst of speed, he fled up the tree. He landed twice as high as Zangetsu, going at a speed twice as fast.

Zangetsu grinned. **"Impressive." **He turned back to the creature below them trying to climb the tree. **"Time for ya to die, beast." **He glanced up at Ichigo. **"Watch what I do, King! Quick blow to the mask puts them out of their misery."**

With that simple instruction, he jumped down from the branch and did just that. The hollow faded out of existence with one last shriek.

Zangetsu flashed out of existence before appearing once more next to Ichigo. It had taken only a single step, his abilities already so strong.

The boy was panting, his small body shaking as the adrenaline slowly left his system. He looked up at Zangetsu, a strange mix of awe and anger in his gaze.

Ichigo opened his mouth but Zangetsu beat him to it. **"Race you to tha top!"**

And with that, the white spirit was gone.

* * *

><p>Ichigo's training commenced in much the same way. With Zangetsu putting him in seemingly life threatening situations to force him to adapt, to grow. It was the fastest (and most brutal) tactic. And it showed.<p>

In the days that followed, the young boy was showing himself to be clever, strong, resourceful, and all together a king worth serving. Zangetsu would never admit it, but he was proud.

His main focus was speed. He didn't yet want to place a sword in Ichigo's hand. It was not that he didn't think the boy could handle it. No, Zangetsu was sure he would take to it like water to fish... or fish to water? Human saying were stupid.

No, it wasn't a worry of skill. Rather, Zangetsu didn't want Ichigo to loose what innocence he had left.

Teaching him the art of death would tear away at that small bit of innocence. Zangetsu would rather die than take that from him.

So Zangetsu waited for the right time, and instead focused on the most important aspect of living in Hueco Mundo, running away.

Ichigo was powerful, yes, but he had yet to gain the ability to use that power. While it annoyed Ichigo to no end, it was critical for him to learn. After only a few days, the boy had nearly mastered both sonido and shunpo. Even the sword was impressed with his wielder's quick learning.

While he forced Ichigo to run from lesser hollows in the Menos Forest, he also taught him how to use a cero. Ichigo was soon destroying the hollows who chased him rather than fleeing from them.

A cero was much different than a sword. It was a simple blast that could easily be thought of as flair of energy that allowed the hollow to pass on. A sword would draw blood. A sword would tear flesh. It was not something Ichigo was ready for.

So the boy trained, and Zangetsu waited.


End file.
